Kabul , Afghanistan -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The first stage of the NATO handover to Afghan security forces began Sunday , marked with a ceremony at a police station in Afghanistan 's Bamiyan province -- a small relatively stable area situated in the country 's mountainous central region .

Bamiyan -- where New Zealand troops are serving -- is the first of seven areas to transfer security responsibilities , said Seddiq Seddiqi , an Interior Ministry spokesman .

`` There is no particular security problem here in Bamyan , '' said provincial spokesman Abdul Rahman Ahmadi . `` The only challenge that we worry about will be the interferences of the insurgents from Bayman 's surrounding provinces . ''

The other six provinces to be transferred include parts of Herat , Balkh , Panjshir , Kabul , Laghman and Helmand .

A handover in Lashkar Gah -- Helmand 's provincial capital -- is set for Wednesday . Helmand province is home to the small farming community of Marjah , where thousands of NATO and Afghan troops launched a massive offensive that drove Taliban forces from the area , despite fierce resistance and heavy losses .

Sunday 's ceremony in Bamiyan came a day after a series of Afghan-led raids targeting Taliban leaders in the country 's southern and eastern regions .

The ensuing firefights left more than 10 insurgents dead in Nangarhar province , while government forces captured weapons and supplies in Khost and Logar provinces , NATO reported .

`` Militants were hidden in a school '' and opened fire on government forces , said Nangarhar provincial spokesman Ahmad Zia Abdulzai .

The spokesman said Afghan forces returned fire on the empty school , as NATO airstrikes pummeled the building .

CNN can not independently verify Abdulzai 's account .

Currently , there are 150,000 ISAF forces in Afghanistan , including nearly 100,000 from the United States -- the largest NATO presence in the region since the U.S.-led war began in 2001 .

News of the transfers have raised questions about the country 's future . While some welcome the transition , critics question whether the country 's security forces can repel a resurgent militancy without the same levels of foreign intervention .

Last week , the first batch of U.S. soldiers left Afghanistan , beginning a drawdown of 10,000 American troops scheduled to leave by year 's end .

The full NATO drawdown is expected to take place by the end of 2014 .

Sunday 's transfer ceremony came as Gen. David Petraeus -- the outgoing top commander of the NATO forces in Afghanistan -- prepared to formally transfer authority on Monday to incoming commander Marine Lt. Gen. John Allen . Petraeus plans to retire from the military before taking over operations as the head of the CIA .

CNN 's Reshad Fazel and Matiullah Mati contributed to this report

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Bamiyan province is the first province to transfer security responsibilities

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There are some 150,000 coalition service members in Afghanistan

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A full NATO drawdown is expected by the end of 2014